


I Love Sunday, Sunday Morning

by Memories_Musings



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-30 00:14:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13938483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Memories_Musings/pseuds/Memories_Musings
Summary: Sunday morning brings an unexpected visitor to Tug Ghyll





	I Love Sunday, Sunday Morning

It's what's recently come to pass as a normal Sunday morning in Tug Ghyll; it's early, before eight, and Vanessa looks out over the back garden, as she waits for the kettle to finish boiling, as the sun is rising over the hills. It really can be quite beautiful here - her living room on the other hand looks like a bomb's gone off. 

It was Johnny's 3rd birthday yesterday and they had celebrated with a dinosaur themed party. The remnants of the decorations are still stuck to the walls, his pile of presents taking up the space in from of the TV, and the mantle piece brimming with cards. It'd been a hectic afternoon, but the younger kids had enjoyed themselves and it had been beyond adorable watching Moses and Johnny chasing each other around with their favourite dinosaurs clutched in their hands. Her dad had joined in, chasing them with exaggerated movements, pretending he was eating them when he'd caught them causing them to squeal and laugh. She'd even seen Noah and Jacob crack a smile while they watched Frank chase the little ones around. 

Watching their pseudo family interact had been great - she'd been a little bit nervous, what with all the history, but she needn't have worried. How obviously her son loved Charity Dingle was enough to smooth over most of the awkwardness. He was just like his mum in that way, always drawn to Charity any time she came into the room. 

And Charity was great with him; she'd been awkward as hell at first, unsure how to interact with a child that wasn't her own - because they were hard enough - but they'd soon become much more comfortable, their relationship based mainly on playing with dinosaurs or having in depth conversations about whatever his latest favourite tv show was. And every time Johnny reached for her Vanessa saw the smile on her lips. Johnny wasn't the only one that was smitten and it caused Vanessa's heart to flutter. She knew that feeling, or something similar, it was love. 

They hadn't said it out loud, but she was pretty sure it was reciprocated. Every 'keep warm', every goodbye kiss, every 'see you later', every cuppa brought to bed in the morning, every sleepy kiss and happy smile. It all said 'I love you' without the words actually being said, but Vanessa wanted to say it, had bitten her tongue on multiple occasions when it had almost blurted out, scared that saying it would put too much pressure on their relationship and would have Charity running for the hills. She didn't have a good track record with relationships, and neither did Charity, but she really wanted this to work. 

The kettle clicks off, interrupting her thoughts, and she moves to mugs, fixing herself her usual brew before dumping a heaped spoonful of coffee into the second mug, smiling at the thought of how grumpy Charity can be in the mornings before her caffeine fix. She's a nightmare, but Vanessa wouldn't have her any other way, plus it's kind of...cute. She never thought that'd be something she'd associated with Charity Dingle. There's a lot of things she never thought of Charity before - and now she's so glad she gets to call her her girlfriend, gets to know these things about her. She's glorious, and Vanessa's in love with her and all the chaos that can bring because she makes her happy, and that's not something she's truly been in a long time.

Finally adding the milk and giving both cups a stir she chucks the spoon in the sink and lifts the mugs, ready to head up and wake up her girlfriend. And maybe, if they're lucky, Johnny won't wake up for at least another hour and they'll have some early morning time to themselves. 

It's when she's halfway up the stairs that there's a rap on the door and she freezes. Who would be calling round so early? She frowns, turning around to head for the door. She sits the mugs on the side table and tightens the tie on her dressing gown, pulling it tighter around herself as she wishes she'd pulled on some pyjamas before coming down, but she had hoped she'd be back in bed, skin on skin with Charity at this time, not answering the door. Whoever it is better have a good reason.

She can't tell who it is through the glass panes, but when she opens the door she can't believe who she's seeing. She freezes. 

"Hi." says a once very familiar voice - one that she was sure she wouldn't hear again.

\-----

Charity awoke slowly, stretching out to ease any aches she was sure would be there from her and Vanessa's activities last night. She can't help the smile that tugs at her lips as she remembers the day - Frank and Megan not actually being too annoying after Johnny had raced over to her with an excited squeal and curled himself around her leg when she'd walked in late, having come straight from the pub with Moses on her other hip, Johnny and Moses' excitable little faces as they'd ran around the living room, Noah's smile that he kept trying to hide at their antics. And then later, after everyone had gone, and it was just her and Vanessa, the TV on in the background as they curled around each other on the sofa with a glass of wine in hand. It was comfortable, they were comfortable. Charity wasn't sure she'd ever felt so content before to just _be_ with someone. 

When her stretching limbs meet cold sheets she opens her eyes with a frown - it's Sunday, and as far as she's aware they don't have any plans, so where's Vanessa? She glances at the clock and the red blinking lights tell her it's not even eight. Johnny and Moses were knackered from all the excitement yesterday so she's sure they won't be up yet, and Noah had gone back to the pub to play video games with Samson last night. Then she hears movement downstairs and the familiar sound of the kettle finishing its boil and smiles.

Vanessa'll be up with a brew in a few minutes and Charity smiles. It's something so simple. So _domestic_. But her heart swells regardless, and Charity really does know she's a goner. She wouldn't have it any other way. She's never had a relationship like this, so honest, open, and real. She's been in love before, or what had passed for love in her life, but with Vanessa it's different, it feels like more somehow. Charity just hopes that she can find the words to tell her that. 

She hears the now familiar creak that the fifth stair makes and props herself up on her elbow, ready to greet Vanessa when she makes her way back in. The footsteps stop, then move back down the stairs and Charity frowns, pouts, dropping back on to the pillow.

It's when she hears the keys in the front door and it swing open that her curiosity begins to get the better of her and she lifts herself out of bed, grabbing the spare dressing gown that's been unofficially dubbed as hers from the back of the door and tying the belt at the front. She can hear a male voice she doesn't recognise when she reaches the top of the stairs and she frowns. 

"Ness? Babe? Everything okay?" She calls as she heads down the stairs, concern lacing her voice when she hears the tone of Vanessa's voice.

"You're not welcome here. I don't _want_ you here." 

She skips a few steps as she hears the underlying wobble in Vanessa's voice and the uncharacteristic words, as well as the protests from the person on the other side of the threshold.

Turning into the porch a second later she knows who it is immediately, recognises some of his features in Johnny, and she feels her anger rise before she can do anything to stop it. Neither of them have noticed she's there yet, Vanessa too focused on trying to get him to leave, and Kirin on trying to placate her. 

"Please, Ness." Kirin beseeches, trying to reach out for her flailing hands. "Please I just want t-"

"You heard her before. You're not welcome here." Charity finds herself biting out, and both of them turn to look at her. Her eyes are drawn to Vanessa's and she looks so lost; a mixture of anger and pain swirling in her eyes. Charity never wants to see her look like that again. 

She advances, eyes on Kirin now, stepping between him and Vanessa, pleased when he instinctively takes a step back as she reaches him. 

"What the hell are yo-" he starts, confusion plastered all over his face.

"I said." she starts, nostrils flaring. "You're not welcome. It's best you leave. Now."

He scoffs and tries to move around her to see Vanessa, but she blocks his path with her body. 

"It's time for you to leave, please." She repeats coldly. "There's children sleeping upstairs and you've interrupted what should've been a wonderfully relaxing Sunday." She says the last bit with enough innuendo that he gets it, his brows furrowing in confusion. He steps back again when it twigs and she uses it to her advantage, shuts the door over in his face quickly, too quickly for him to stop it. 

She's flicking the lock over as soon as it's shut, hoping he takes the hint and leaves. 

She turns around to find Vanessa leaning back against the wall, her face turned up to the ceiling and Charity can see the sheen of tears on her eyes. It breaks her heart.

"Babe?" She questions softly, taking a step closer but not wanting to touch her in case she needs space.

Kirin bangs on the door, shouting through it. "Ness, please. I just need to talk to you. I want to see him, please, Ness." 

"Oi, pea brain, why don't you just go? I told you to bugger off." She shouts back so that he can hear her through the door. Her eyes never leaving Vanessa.

They hear him curse and kick the wall, and then his footfalls quieten as he walks away from the door. 

Charity sees Vanessa's shoulders start to shake, watches tears overflow from her eyes and trace paths down her cheeks, sees her hands curl into fists at her sides and can't help but react.

"V, what can I do?" Charity asks, helplessly, unsure what will actually help. "Please, tell me what I can do." She begs, her heart breaking at the tears on Vanessa's cheeks. 

When a proper sob wracks Vanessa's shoulders Charity can't take it anymore, she lunges forward, hands at Vanessa's shoulders pulling her away from the wall and into her body. Vanessa crumples then, moulding to her body, hands clutching at the lapels of Charity's dressing gown as her heads buries into her neck. Charity drops kisses on her hair, holding her tightly to her until the sobs stop. 

Vanessa pulls back with a sniff, a blush colouring her cheeks. She meets Charity's worried eyes. "Safe to say I didn't expect that this morning." She looks down at her hands, fingers nervously tugging on the dressing gown under her hands. "I always thought if he came back I'd tell him what for. I didn't expect... _this_." She gestures at her face with a hand, lips turning down.

"It sounded like you were telling him exactly where to go from this side, babe. I wouldn't have wanted to be the one you were yelling at that's for sure." 

One corner of her mouth turns up slightly at that and Charity takes it as a small victory. 

"How about we get a fresh cuppa and watch that awful Sunday Brunch show you love so much and, we, uh, work out what to do about that later? Hmm? You know how I get without any caffeine." Charity adds on, trying to lighten the mood. 

Vanessa's smile is weak, she's obviously still troubled, but she still lifts her face up and kisses Charity softly before moving out of her embrace. "Deal." 

Charity follows her into the living room, picking up the mugs as she passes. She nudges Vanessa towards the sofa with her hip and heads for the kitchen. She watches Vanessa as she fills the kettle and Vanessa flicks on the tele; she hates seeing her so troubled.

Whatever happens next Charity knows she's not going to let Vanessa deal with any of it alone. Vanessa's been her port in a storm before, she's going to do everything she can to be there for her and Johnny.

**Author's Note:**

> Let's pretend that if he did turn up again he wouldn't be arrested...Emmerdale's police don't seem to have very long memories anyway...


End file.
